


Waiting With You

by buoyantsaturn



Series: auctober2020 [6]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Affection, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Engagement, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Secret Relationship, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26869912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buoyantsaturn/pseuds/buoyantsaturn
Summary: Nico took his hand. It was warm and soft and the perfect size to hold on a walk, and Nico’s brain was getting ahead of reality again. He replied, “Hi. Nico.”
Relationships: Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: auctober2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939612
Comments: 18
Kudos: 128
Collections: Solangelo Auctober 2020





	Waiting With You

**Author's Note:**

> happy auctober! this was!! the most fun ive had writing a fic!!! in So Long!! i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it!!

Jason’s graduation present to Piper was an engagement ring, and Piper’s gift to him was a key to her new apartment. These were the natural next steps to their relationship - they’d been dating since freshman year of college, and had at one point been considered the cutest couple at New Rome University. They’d spent four years focusing on school, and now they could spend the rest of their lives focusing on each other. 

Nico, as Jason’s now  _ ex- _ roommate, had been enlisted in helping to set up the engagement party, which was being held in Jason and Piper’s new apartment. He should’ve been expecting that Jason would ask him to be his best man that night, but part of Nico was having a hard time believing any of this was actually happening. Nico himself was still in college, and the idea that a friend of his was getting married felt a little bit impossible at that time in his life. He’d accepted the job, of course, despite not knowing just how much work it would entail on top of his classes, homework, and impending job search. 

The party quickly got into the swing of things, with friends and family from both sides arriving to congratulate the happy couple, and Nico was gradually becoming overwhelmed. He was trying to escape out onto the balcony for some fresh air when Jason grabbed his arm and pulled him further inside instead. Piper was in the living room chatting animatedly with someone tall, blond, and handsome - and it wasn’t Jason. He almost looked like he could’ve been Jason’s cousin; his tanner, sunshinier cousin.

“Nico!” Piper exclaimed when she saw them coming. “Come here, I want you to meet Will!”

Will, apparently, turned toward Nico and smiled in a way that almost had Nico stumbling over his next step. “Hi there. I’m Will,” he said, holding a hand out for Nico to shake.

Nico took his hand. It was warm and soft and the perfect size to hold on a walk, and Nico’s brain was getting ahead of reality again. He replied, “Hi. Nico.” 

Jason set a hand on Nico’s shoulder, startling him into releasing Will’s hand. “Nico here is going to be my best man!”

Will’s eyes slid from Jason back to Nico. “Really? I’m Piper’s.” 

Piper punched his arm - it didn’t look very soft, but Will didn’t flinch. “I believe we decided on  _ man of honor.” _

Will grinned. “I don’t believe we did.” 

“Whatever.” Piper shoved at Will, and turned back to Nico and Jason. “The important part is that Will’s going to help out with the planning stuff!” She linked one arm through Will’s and the other through Jason’s, pulling them both close to her. “The four of us are going to be spending a  _ lot _ of time together!” 

All three of them were smiling. Jason and Piper were gazing at each other with hearts in their eyes, but Will’s eyes were locked on Nico.

Nico smiled back. 

He finally managed to sneak outside after a short while, relaxing on the small bench on the balcony with a solo cup of some mixed drink in his hand. He was enjoying the occasional cool breeze that swept by, and the now muffled sounds of the party inside. 

Suddenly, the sounds got much louder as the glass door slid open, and Will stepped outside. He paused when he saw Nico, and said, “Oh, hi! Sorry, I didn’t realize anybody was out here. Um. Any chance you want some company?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Nico said, attempting to move over on the bench to make more room for Will, though he was already leaning against one arm. When Will sat down beside him, Nico asked, “Needed a break, too?” 

Will’s lips curled up into a smile as he said, “Yeah. This is probably going to make me sound like kind of a loser, but I spent all of undergrad  _ studying, _ so. Not really used to big parties like this.” 

“Me too,” Nico said, then took a sip of his drink. “I mean, um. I’m still in undergrad, but yeah. This isn’t really my thing.”

Will nodded. He raised his own cup to his lips as he asked, “How do you know Jason?” 

“We’re roommates,” Nico answered immediately, then frowned. “Or, I guess we were. God, I’m going to have to find a new roommate, now. You seem normal, any chance you’re looking for a new place to live?” 

Will laughed, high-pitched and musical, and Nico wanted to make that happen again and again. “I appreciate it, but unfortunately, no. I actually just moved here, and I don’t want to start breaking leases already.” 

Nico wished he could turn toward Will and give him his full attention, but they were already sitting as close as they could possibly be without one of them sitting on the other’s lap. If Nico wanted to move at all, he’d have to throw his legs over Will’s lap, and he wasn’t about to do that to an almost complete stranger. He would have to settle for craning his neck to the side all night.

“So, how do you know Piper if you just moved here?” Nico asked.

“She’s my best friend,” Will said with a hint of pride in his voice. “We went to high school together in Texas, and then she moved here for undergrad while I stayed behind. It’s actually just a big coincidence that we both ended up in the same city.”

“How so?” 

Will grinned. “I’m about to start med school. New Rome was my top choice, and I can still barely believe I got in.” 

Nico’s eyes widened. “That’s great! What kind of medicine are you going to study?” 

“I wanna go for surgery, but I’ll really have to see once I get in there,” Will told him. “I’ve heard that a lot of people have one thing in mind when they go in, and then by graduation they’ve taken a total left turn into something they’ve never even thought about. Like, I’ve heard that almost nobody goes in planning on going for infectious disease, but a  _ ton _ of people end up going for it after rotations. I’m, like,  _ unbelievably _ excited to learn about infectious diseases.” He glanced at Nico out of the corner of his eye, as if just realizing that he’dhe had, in fact, been rambling about infectious disease, and his ears grew pink. “Sorry, that’s...probably not ‘first meeting’ conversation, huh?” 

“No way, I love a good infectious disease,” Nico told him. “Plagues have always been my favorite part of history.”

Will ducked his head as though trying to hide his smile. After a second, he turned to look at Nico and said, “Hey, uh, this bench kinda sucks. Do you maybe want to go on a walk?”

“Sure. Just like, around the block, or something?” 

Will shrugged. “I think I saw an ice cream shop when I drove in.”

Nico grinned. “Let’s go.”

Will stood from his seat before turning to help Nico up with an offered hand. Their hands were still linked as Will stepped toward the door, but Nico held him back. “Do you think Piper will get pissed at us if she sees us leaving early?” 

Will hummed in thought. “Probably, but that just means we’ll have to be sneaky.” 

Nico pulled Will a step away from the door. “Or we could just climb off the balcony.” 

Will’s eyes widened. “No! Absolutely not!”

“C’mon, we’re only on the second floor!” 

“No way in  _ hell _ am I letting you jump off this balcony,” Will told him, tightening his hold on Nico’s hand. “Come inside and sneak around with me.” 

Nico sighed. “Well, when you put it that way…” 

Will grinned and dragged Nico back into the apartment. 

They walked to the ice cream parlor and back with their hands linked between them. Will ended up paying for their ice cream because Nico forgot his wallet, and winked when he told Nico that he could pay next time. They finished their ice cream out on the front steps leading up to the apartment building, and lingered there even after they finished. 

“I kinda don’t want to go back inside,” Will confessed in a small voice. 

Nico leaned against Will’s side. “If the engagement party was this bad, just imagine what the  _ wedding _ will be like.” 

Will turned his head so that his nose pressed into Nico’s hair. “I meant because I’ve had more fun out here with you than I did after an hour in there.” 

Nico shifted slowly, careful not to bump Will’s nose as he moved, and met Will’s gaze. There were only inches between them. “Me too,” Nico whispered. He saw Will’s eyes drop down toward his lips, then quickly back up to his eyes, as if asking permission but too afraid to say the words. Nico did the same, hoping his eyes alone could convey the desperate way he was thinking  _ please kiss me. _

He did. A quick press of lips that had Nico’s heart soaring even after it ended. Will pulled away first, and put enough distance between them that Nico wasn’t tempted to kiss him back.

“I’m sorry,” Will said, suddenly unable to meet Nico’s gaze. “I shouldn’t have done that.” 

Nico reached out and set his hand over Will’s, and the other didn’t pull away. “No, Will, I--”

“It’s not what you think,” Will cut in. “I  _ wanted _ to kiss you, I… I still  _ do _ want to kiss you, and if I had any sense I’d probably kiss you until my lungs gave out, but…” He turned his whole body toward Nico and took one of his hands in both of his own. “I can’t, not right now. I’m about to start med school, and we’re all going to be stressed out about this wedding, and I can already tell that it’s going to be...a lot. And I wouldn’t want to end up neglecting you whenever I have too much on my plate.” Will met his eyes again. “Please don’t be mad.” 

“I’m not,” Nico assured him, squeezing one of his hands and smiling albeit sadly. “A little disappointed, maybe, but I understand. You’re right, though. I’m not really in the right place to be starting a relationship, either. I mean, there’s a huge possibility that once I graduate, I could move halfway across the world. Maybe we can revisit this after the wedding?” 

“I’d like that,” Will told him. He brought Nico’s hand up and kissed his knuckles. “You should know that...I don’t expect you to wait for me.”

“Will, I just said that I’ve got my own stuff to deal with,” Nico reminded him.

“No, I know, but sometimes things change, and if you meet somebody--”

Nico knocked on Will’s forehead. “Is anybody in there? I said nothing’s going to happen until after the wedding, okay? With you or anybody else. I’m not waiting for you, I’m waiting for me. I’m waiting  _ with _ you.” 

Will rested his forehead against Nico’s and released his hands. He held one hand up between them, balled into a fist with his pinky out as if to make a promise. “I’m waiting with you,” he repeated. 

Nico linked his pinky with Will’s. 

* * *

The four of them had a group chat to discuss wedding plans. Sometimes, Jason or Piper would throw a concept into the chat for the others to vote on, usually to settle a minor argument, and sometimes there would be an address with a time to meet up. These so far had consisted of drinks at a bar near campus where they tried to pick a venue and Piper had to step outside to cool down after an argument; a flower shop where Jason and Piper spent more time fighting over red or pink roses than they did actually paying attention to the color scheme they’d decided on; and now a bakery where Will and Nico found themselves waiting outside for the bride and groom to be for a cake tasting.

It was the first time Nico and Will had been alone together since the night of the engagement party. Sure, they’d spent more time talking to each other than Jason or Piper whenever they had planning meetings, but they always had a buffer. 

They kept to safe topics of conversation while they waited - classes and homework and Nico’s job search, and the possibility of maybe applying for graduate school. But they were running low on vague conversation, and Nico was starting to fear that things would start to get more personal before their buffer could arrive. Then his phone buzzed in his pocket. Will reached for his own at the same time.

_ [From: Jason; We’re not going to make it. Pick a cake without us, we trust you.] _

Nico’s heart sank. Part of him was bursting with excitement at the idea of having so much time to spend alone with Will, but another part was dreading an impending broken heart. He glanced up, and saw that Will looked just as nervous as he felt. It was reassuring, in a way. 

Will plastered on a smile. “Well, uh. Shall we?” 

Nico nodded. “I guess.” 

Will moved toward the door and held it open for Nico, saying, “After you.” 

Nico led the way inside, stepping up to the counter and telling the woman on the other said, “Hi, we have an appointment for a cake tasting.” 

The woman smiled between them. “Yes, the Grace party? You’re right on time.” She waved them forward, stepping around the counter and leading the two men into another part of the bakery. “If the happy couple could just follow me this way.”

“Oh, we’re not--” Will stuttered.

“They couldn’t make it--” Nico tried.

They shared a panicked look. 

“I’m the best man,” Nico told her after a short pause. 

“And I’m, uh. Also the best man?” Will said hesitantly. “The bride and groom won’t be able to make it.”

The woman looked a bit startled, but she nodded along as though she understood. “Well, it’s a bit unorthodox, but I suppose if it’s alright with the bride and groom…” 

“They’re okay with it,” Nico assured her. 

Still, she appeared hesitant, but the woman continued to lead them toward a table for two. There were plates with cake slices and name cards spread out across the table, with a bottle of champagne and two glasses set in the center. Nico hadn’t realized that a cake tasting would be such an...intimate event, and he couldn’t help but think that Jason and Piper had neglected to tell the bakery that there were supposed to be four of them there that day. 

The woman was already walking them through the process before Nico’s brain jumped back online. “...and each cake can be made tiered to accommodate for as many guests as you need. Take your time, enjoy your tasting, and I’ll be up at the front if you have any questions.” 

The woman walked back the way she came, leaving Nico and Will alone with approximately ten slices of cake and a lot of tension between them. Neither of them moved, simply staring at the table and the chairs that sat too close together. Nico was hoping Will would make the first move, but after a few seconds had passed, he sighed and said, “Let’s get this over with.” 

Will took a deep breath beside him before he nodded and took the first step. He pulled out one chair, smiling at Nico and gesturing for him to sit - even the obvious nervousness in his smile didn’t stop butterflies from fluttering in Nico’s stomach at the sight. Will waited until Nico was sitting before he took the seat beside him, and he reached for the bottle of champagne. “Shall we start with some of this?” 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nico asked, staring at the bottle like he thought it might be poisoned. 

“I’m pretty sure this is going to be unbearably awkward unless we agree to just have some fun with this,” Will told him, “and the first step to fun is alcohol.” When Nico still seemed hesitant, Will set down the champagne and held up his fist between them, his pinky extended and pointed toward Nico. “Let’s not make this weird.” 

Nico snorted, and hooked his own pinky around Will’s. “Fine. I guess a little fun won’t kill me.” 

Will grinned. “That’s the spirit!” He popped the top off the champagne - thankfully, it didn’t spill everywhere - and filled each glass about halfway. He offered one glass to Nico, holding the other in his hand, and tapped the glasses together once before taking a sip. Will set down the glass, then clapped his hands, rubbing his palms together and eying the plates across the table. “Alright, where should we start?” 

“Divide and conquer?” Nico suggested. “If I like one, I’ll have you try it, and if it sucks, I won’t put you through that.” 

“Deal.” Will reached for a plate and slid it closer to himself, and Nico did the same. “Which one do you have?” 

Nico picked up the card and frowned. “Matcha green tea? How is that a  _ cake _ flavor? What’s wrong with, I dunno,  _ vanilla?” _

“Just try it, I’m sure it’s good,” Will said before stuffing a bite of his own cake into his mouth. He moaned at the taste, relaxing fully in his chair. “Never mind, don’t bother. This is the one.” He scooped up another forkful of cake and held it out toward Nico. “C’mon, you  _ have _ to try it.” 

Nico’s hand twitched on the table, like he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to take the fork from Will’s hand or not. Instead he leaned in and let his mouth fall open, allowing Will to close the distance and feed him the bite of cake. 

With the fork still in Nico’s mouth, Will’s eyes widened like he’d just realized what he had done. He released the fork and snatched his hand back, looking pointedly away while he tried to calm his racing heart. “Um. That totally  _ wasn’t _ weird, right?” 

Nico removed the fork from between his lips, making sure to swallow his bite before he replied, “Totally not weird,” in a voice that told Will that, _ yeah, _ it was weird. “But you’re right, that was  _ amazing. _ What was that?”

Will scrambled for the card and read, “Chocolate espresso. So, like, that’s the one, right?” 

Nico cracked a smile. “We can’t go with the  _ first cake. _ We at least have to  _ try _ something else.”

Will shrugged. “Alright, but nothing’s going to beat that.” He went to pull his phone from his pocket and continued, “I’m just gonna text Piper and let her know we found one we liked, and definitely  _ not _ say that we’ve already decided on it.” 

“Will,” Nico warned.

He started tapping on his screen, angling his body away from Nico slightly. “Yes, dear?” 

Nico rose to his feet and reached over Will’s shoulder in an attempt to grab his phone, but Will simply held it out of his reach. “We have, like, ten more cakes to try! Quit texting Piper!”

“I’m just keeping her updated,” Will insisted, stretching forward to keep Nico from reaching his phone.

Still draped over Will’s back, Nico grabbed a stray fork on the table and stabbed into a random slice of cake. With his other hand, he pried open Will’s mouth and stuffed the bite of cake inside. Instantly, Will stopped playing keepaway, and turned toward Nico with an awe-filled look in his eye. “Oh my god, that one’s good too!” 

Nico collapsed forward, hiding his laughter in Will’s chest. Automatically, it seemed, Will’s hand came to rest on Nico’s back, while the other dropped his phone on the table. “No, seriously, which one was that? Nico, we’re going to have to eat  _ all of these.” _

Nico pushed himself back, still laughing and shaking his head at Will’s stupidity. “You’re the worst, you know that?” 

Will pouted. “You don’t mean that.” 

Nico reached up, his palm finding Will’s jaw as his thumb wiped a smear of frosting from Will’s lip. He licked the frosting away and said, “No, I really do.” 

Ultimately, they stuck with the chocolate espresso cake, but texted Jason and Piper with their top three, just in case. They stepped out of the bakery together, prepared to go their separate ways, but at the last second, Will said, “Do you want to get a drink with me?”

Nico hesitated, because of course he wanted to extend his time with Will whenever he could, but on the other hand, “I thought we agreed that nothing was going to happen between us.”

“Yet,” Will reminded him. “What’s one drink going to change?”

Nico took a step toward him, and Will grinned. “I could go for some food, actually. Maybe something not full of sugar?” 

“Fine by me,” Will told him, and started walking down the street. Only a few steps away, though, he spun back around and exclaimed, “Oh! But one more thing, just so we’re clear.” He held out his pinky, waiting for Nico to link with him before he smiled brightly and said, “You’re not allowed to fall in love with me.” 

Nico rolled his eyes, but it was undercut by the matching smile on his own face. “Don’t you know that’s the quickest way to get somebody to fall for you?” 

Will stepped closer until they were toe to toe, their pinkies still locked together between them, his voice softer when he said, “So it’s working, then?” 

Will pressed a kiss to Nico’s knuckles just before Nico could shove him away. Nico grabbed Will’s hand, lacing their fingers together as he pulled Will down the street. “C’mon, loverboy, I need to eat something salty before all this sugar goes to my head.” 

* * *

Nico and Will were  _ not _ dating. They had promised themselves and each other that they wouldn’t date until after the wedding, and they were going to make good on that promise. That, of course, didn’t stop them from texting each other at all hours of the day, meeting up to study together when they could, and watching movies together on weekends.

Nico was trying to finish up a reading for class before Will showed up for their weekly movie night. Normally, he would’ve had all of his homework finished by now, but he’d gone over to Jason and Piper’s the night before to help with addressing save the date cards. (Will had been unable to make it, unfortunately, and Nico had spent most of his time wishing Will was there with him and ignoring the awkward tension that seemed to coat each conversation.)

There was a knock on the door, and Nico jumped to his feet. Will was early, but Nico didn’t mind. He ran to the door, throwing it open with a smile already on his lips, but it wasn’t Will on the other side.

Jason’s eyes were red, and he had a backpack strap hanging over his shoulder. He wouldn’t meet Nico’s eyes when he said, “Piper’s being pissy. Can I crash here tonight?”

“Uh, sure,” Nico said, and stepped out of the way for Jason to enter. He shut the door and followed Jason to the living room, doing a quick sweep and grabbed the handful of dirty dishes he’d left on the coffee table, slipping his phone into his pocket as he did so. “Let me clean up a little bit. Uh, make yourself at home. You know, again.” 

Nico hurried off to the kitchen with his stack of plates and bowls - it was a good thing it hadn’t been Will at the door because he could  _ not _ have Will thinking he was a slob - and dumped everything in the sink. He pulled his phone out and opened up his texts with Will, calling out, “Do you want anything? Water, beer, food?” 

_ [To: Will; abort jason just showed up and he’s spending the night] _

“Yes,” Jason answered.

“Yes to what?” 

“All of it.” Nico went to the fridge and grabbed two beer bottles before Jason said, “Wait, scratch the water, and I’m gonna order a pizza.” 

“Get pineapple on it,” Nico told him.

“Hell no.” 

Nico grabbed his bottle opener magnet off the fridge and took it with him to the living room. He popped one of the bottles open and handed it to Jason, then flopped back onto the couch and opened his own. He waited until Jason finished drinking half of his bottle before asking, “So, what’s up?” 

“Piper hasn’t talked to me in, like, three days, and when I tried to get her to tell me what was wrong, she completely blew up in my face!” Jason explained, throwing his hands up in defeat with his final statement. When Nico only looked at him with confusion, Jason said, “Didn’t you notice? You were there for  _ hours.” _

“Yeah, but she carried  _ most _ of the conversation, I would argue,” Nico pointed out.

Jason huffed. “Sure, because she was talking to  _ you. _ She never said a  _ thing _ to me, and whenever I tried to say anything to her, she ignored me. She wouldn’t even pass me a new pack of envelopes!”

“I’m sorry, man,” Nico told him. “I don’t know how I didn’t notice.”

“Probably because you were on your phone the entire time,” Jason snapped.

Nico’s eyes widened, fearing that he’d been found out. “Oh, was I? I was just talking to--”

Jason collapsed inward, hiding his face in his hands as he folded almost completely in half. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I was kind of hoping that you and Will could be a sort of...buffer for us? And then Will couldn’t make it, and I know I pulled you away from your homework, and… I’m sorry, man. I’m just so stressed.”

“But...why would you need a buffer?”

Jason ran a hand through his close-cropped hair. “I just want her to talk to me! She keeps pulling this, acting like I did something wrong but not telling me what I did. I love her, I really do, but she’s making this so difficult! And then all the wedding stuff on top of it is just driving me  _ crazy. _ Being with Piper used to be so easy, but now--”

“Now you’re an adult,” Nico filled in for him. “You’re both still adjusting to life outside of school. Remember how excited you were at graduation, how you got to finally focus on each other instead of school? Maybe you should go back to basics. Focus on each other. When was the last time the two of you went out on a real date?”

Jason shrugged. “A few months ago, maybe? We went out sometime after we moved in together, but it’s like… We spend all of our time together now, so dinner at home feels like it should...count for date night, you know?”

“Dude,” Nico said plainly. “I’m probably the least romantic person on the planet, and even  _ I _ know that you can’t just  _ stop going out. _ That’s probably what she’s pissed about! You moved in together, and suddenly you’re a boring old couple who doesn’t do anything fun anymore.” Nico kicked him in the thigh. “I’m gonna tell you the same thing you’ve said to me for the last however many years: go on a  _ date,  _ loser.” 

Jason nodded slowly, letting the advice sink in. “You’re right. When did you get so good at helping people? I mean, you’re not  _ nice.” _

Nico took a swig of his beer. “Thank you.” 

When Jason passed out on the couch after eating more than his fair share of pizza, Nico finally brought his phone back out. He had three texts from Will.

_ [From: Will; :( ] _

_ [From: Will; is everything okay?] _

_ [From: Will; do you think I should check on Piper?] _

Nico thought out his response, keeping an eye on Jason’s sleeping form across the couch to make sure he didn’t get caught.

_ [To: Will; they had a fight but i think they’ll be ok. jason’s just stressed. let piper come to you so she doesn’t think we’re talking behind her back] _

He wasn’t expecting a response, assuming that Will would have already gone to bed for the night, but a few moments later, Nico’s phone buzzed in his hand. 

_ [From: Will; I hope you’re right :( ] _

_ [From: Will; I miss you] _

Nico’s heart fluttered in his chest, making it hard for him to take in his next breath.

_ [To: Will; I miss you too] _

_ [To: Will; you’re making it up to me next week with 2 movies instead of 1] _

_ [From: Will; why do I have to make it up to you when Jason’s the one who interrupted us?] _

_ [To: Will; because jason still doesn’t know about us, stupid] _

_ [From: Will; oh? is there an ‘us’ to know about? ;) ] _

_ [To: Will; not yet] _

_ [To: Will; i won’t let you break your pinky promise so easily] _

_ [From: Will; yes, dear <3 ] _

* * *

Jason and Piper seemed...better, not that either Nico or Will had been around to notice that they’d been fighting. When they were invited over to assist with the guest list, Jason and Piper were speaking to each other, sitting next to each other, and talking through things in a way that didn’t end in an argument. 

Everything seemed to be going fine, and they were back on track with the wedding plans. 

They had the list of people they’d sent save the date cards out to, but Jason and Piper had decided to cut the list down quite a ways.

“I thought you wanted a big wedding,” Will asked Piper once she’d finished explaining the plan for the evening.

“I did,” Piper replied with a tight-lipped smile, “but Jason wanted to make it a little more intimate, so we’re...compromising.” 

“That reminds me,” Jason jumped in. “Were either of you planning on bringing a date?”

Nico and Will exchanged a quick glance.

“No,” Will answered.

“Um,” Nico started, “maybe Hazel?” 

He could feel Will’s eyes boring a hole into the side of his head. 

Nico cleared his throat awkwardly. “She’s my sister.”

Jason shared a look with Piper, who shrugged noncommittally, and Jason turned back to Nico. “Sure, if you want to. Can you text her now? We’ll need an answer by tonight, if you can.”

Nico nodded and reached for his phone, but Piper stopped him with a, “Before you do that--” She reached for a rolled up, laminated sheet of paper and handed it to Will, then gave Nico a smaller sheet and two dry erase markers - one red and one blue. “I want you two to start working on the seating chart. Red is my guest, blue is Jason’s, no more than six to a table if you can. That’s the portion of the guest list and Jas and I already agreed on, but we’ve got more cuts to make, so feel free to leave some empty seats around.”

Will started to unroll the laminated paper and realized that it would have taken up half of the dining room table easily. “Is it cool if we go spread this out in the living room?” 

“Yeah, go ahead,” Piper answered, her eyes already zeroed in on her copy of the guest list. 

Will stood from the table and started toward the living room, not waiting to make sure Nico would follow. He laid the paper out on the coffee table and sat on the floor in front of the couch, keeping his eyes locked on the venue’s layout even as Nico sat down on the couch beside him.

“Hey,” Nico said, hoping to get his attention.

“Hmm.” 

Nico nudged Will’s shoulder with his knee. “What’s up?” 

Will shrugged. 

Nico brought a hand up to stroke the hair at the base of Will’s skull, his index finger twisting around a curl. “Will.” 

Will tipped his head back to meet Nico’s eyes. “Yes, dear?” 

Nico offered him a soft smile. “Are you upset that I thought about bringing my sister as my date to the wedding?” 

Will returned his gaze to the seating chart. “No,” he lied. He tipped his head to the side until his cheek rested against Nico’s knee, and he wound an arm around Nico’s calf.

Nico continued to play with his hair. “You know I only have eyes for you.” Will’s hold tightened around Nico’s leg. “It’s  _ you _ that I’m going to dance with all night, and it’s  _ you _ that I’m going to walk down the aisle with. And sure, I might have to save  _ one _ dance for Hazel, but for the rest of the night I’m all yours.”

Will  _ whined. _ “Would you just come down here already? We have a job to do.” 

“You’re going to have to let go of me first,” Nico laughed. 

Will huffed and released Nico’s leg, lifting his head so that Nico could slide down onto the floor beside him. Will reached for his hand immediately, twining their fingers together between their laps as Nico leaned his head on Will’s shoulder. Will pressed his nose into Nico’s hair and whispered, “You’re going to be the death of me.” 

* * *

Will had put on a movie, but they chose to ignore it and let it play as background noise to their conversation. Nico had his head in Will’s lap, lying stretched out across Will’s couch while Will’s fingers toyed with his hair. Will would soon be learning about infectious diseases. Nico was going to apply for grad school.

“Really?” Will asked, either unable or unwilling to hide the excitement in his voice. “You never told me you were thinking about grad school!”

“I wasn’t, really,” Nico replied. He had Will’s other hand in between his own. He kept lacing and unlacing their fingers, fitting their hands together in different ways, and tracing the lines of Will’s palm with his fingertip. “I was looking for jobs but… It doesn’t seem like anybody wants to hire a guy who only has a bachelor’s in anthropology. And the few things I could find… I dunno, nothing felt right. And then I was talking to one of my professors, and she mentioned grad school. She even said she’d write me a letter of recommendation, and that I could TA for her, which means--” 

“Which means you’re staying here,” Will breathed. He seemed like he really was trying to hide his excitement now, masking it under something else. Some kind of worry...or guilt? “Nico, I didn’t...influence this decision at all, did I?” 

“Well, you were certainly in the  _ pro _ column of my pros and cons list, if that’s what you’re asking,” Nico told him. “I made this decision for  _ me, _ Will, because I think it’s the right next step.”

“Nico--” 

“Okay, and  _ maybe _ I thought I’d be happier with my decision if I knew that you’d be there, too,” Nico finished. He kept the fingers of one hand interlocked with Will’s, and with his other hand he reached up to cradle Will’s jaw, angling his head down so that Nico could smile up at him. “I already submitted my application. If I get accepted, I’m staying.”

Will smiled back. “There’s no  _ if. _ They’d be stupid not to have you.” He tilted his head down and pressed a kiss to Nico’s wrist. “I think we should celebrate! Let’s go out for ice cream! If I remember correctly, it’s your turn to pay.” 

Nico rolled his eyes. “Oh, sure.  _ Nico, let’s go celebrate  _ you _ and this huge next step you’re taking in life! Let’s go get ice cream that you get to pay for!” _

Will pouted. “Does that mean we’re not going?” 

Nico sat up with a huff. “Of course we’re going, just let me run to the bathroom first.”

Nico tried to be quick, not wanting to leave Will waiting on him for too long, but as he was washing his hands, he heard a sound from somewhere else in the apartment. The front door had shut, and then there were voices - one was Will’s, but the other Nico couldn’t pinpoint. Female, for sure, and she sounded like she was in distress. 

Nico shut the water off and moved toward the door, pressing his ear against it in the hopes that he could hear better. He wasn’t usually one to eavesdrop, but he also didn’t want to risk traipsing out of the bathroom into the middle of a deeply personal conversation. 

“The wedding’s  _ off!” _ she shrieked, and broke down in a fit of sobs, and Nico felt something like ice through his heart. It must have been Piper out there, wailing to the point that her voice was unrecognizable. Piper continued to ramble through her tears, though Nico only picked up a word here and there. He had to imagine that Will managed to catch more of it, but it really could have gone either way with the way Piper was crying. 

Nico couldn’t go back out there. Piper could  _ not _ know that he and Will had been kind of sort of seeing each other behind her back, and he couldn’t let her think that he’d been spying on her conversation. Then again, he couldn’t exactly hide out in the bathroom indefinitely - it was the only one in the apartment, and surely somebody else would need to pee eventually. 

He pressed his back to the door and tried to think - luckily for him, he didn’t have to think for long. There was a window on the opposite wall, one that Nico could slip through easily and make his escape. They were only on the second floor, so as long as he landed properly he should be fine. 

Nico pushed open the window and peered down. It was maybe a little bit higher than he’d expected, but the fall was definitely survivable. He stepped up onto the bathroom counter so that he could swing his other leg out the window, and then swung himself out so that he was hanging by his arms. He kicked off the exterior wall to get himself a bit of distance from the building, and let go. 

He realized only a second later that he wasn’t wearing any shoes. 

Nico hit the ground, landing on his toes and rolling. He laid on the ground until the sting from impact stopped pulsing up his legs, and then he laid there a little while longer. He pulled his phone from his pocket and opened his texts to Will.

_ [To: Will; you’re Definitely going to laugh when I tell you what stupid thing I just did] _

Then he let his arms drop to his sides, and he stared up at the moon. 

It was maybe half an hour later, and a few minutes after Nico had moved to sit on the front steps of Will’s building, that the door behind Nico opened and Will stepped out. He was carrying Nico’s shoes and coat, and when he got closer, Nico saw that his eyes were rimmed red. Will was a sympathetic crier - Nico had learned quickly that anytime someone cried, even if they were just a character in a movie, Will cried too. Nico’s heart ached for Will. Considering the state Piper had been in, Will had to have been sobbing right alongside her. 

Will handed Nico his shoes, and draped the jacket over his shoulders, then sat down beside Nico. Immediately Nico fell against his side, offering whatever physical form of comfort he could in that moment. 

“Piper cried herself to sleep,” Will whispered. He’d probably cried so much he lost his voice.

“I thought they were going to make it,” Nico said just as quietly, nuzzling against Will’s shoulder until Will wrapped an arm around him. “What does this mean for us?”

Will’s hold on him tightened. “What do you mean?” 

Nico pulled back far enough that he could meet Will’s eyes. “We met  _ because of  _ Jason and Piper. We’ve been using  _ their wedding _ as a deadline for figuring out  _ our _ relationship. They didn’t even know there was anything going on between us and we were too focused on each other to realize that our best friends’ engagement was falling apart.” 

Will frowned. “What are you trying to say?”

Nico took a breath. “I don’t think they’ll be happy about this.  _ Us. _ We’re going to have to pick sides, and that puts us against each other. I have to be there for Jason, and you need to be there for Piper.”

Will swallowed, and it looked like it hurt. His eyes were welling up like he was going to start crying again, but Nico didn’t know how he could possibly have any tears left. “We could keep sneaking around. They don’t have to know.”

“I think we have to take a break,” Nico whispered, and Will dropped his head like Nico had just voiced his worst fear. Nico pressed his forehead to Will’s and held his fist between them, his pinky extended out toward Will. “Just for a little while.” He reached up with his free hand and started wiping the tears from Will’s cheeks, but he wasn’t fast enough. 

“Just a break,” Will promised, and linked his pinky with Nico’s. “You’d better come back to me, Nico.” 

Nico nodded, keeping his head against Will’s. “I will. I’m waiting with you,” he promised, his voice cracking as his own tears started to fall. “Do you remember when you said I wasn’t allowed to fall in love with you? I think I broke my promise.” 

Will laughed, and the sound nearly broke Nico’s heart all over again. “I think I did, too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading and! sorry about that folks!
> 
> dont forget to check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more content!!!


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